1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a clip driver for binding documents or the like by using a clip. It particularly relates to a clip driver in which a plurality of clips are accommodated. Each clip is formed of a single elastic plate-like member which is bent to have a pair of grasping portions abutting against each other. In the clip driver, the plurality of clips are successively sent one by one to a position in which the grasping portions of the clip located in that position are opened so as to grasp documents or the like therebetween.
2. Description of the Related Art
To bind a plurality of loose documents together, generally, a stapler, a Gem clip, or the like has been used. In a stapler, however, there has been a disadvantage in that the documents are injured because a staple accommodated in the stapler is stuck through the documents to bind them together. In the case of a Gem clip in which documents are inserted between double ring portions of the Gem clip so as to be bound together, on the other hand, there is a disadvantage in that the documents are apt to come off from the Gem clip and that the Gem clip is not suitable to clip a large number of documents together, although the Gem clip has an advantage in that the documents are not injured by the Gem clip. There has been therefore proposed a clip which is formed in such a manner that an elastic plate-like member is bent to form a pair of grasping portions abutting against each other at the extremities thereof and rotatable levers are provided outside the grasping portions so that the levers are operated by fingers to thereby open the nip between the grasping portions so as to grasp documents or the like therebetween. In the clip, however, there has been a disadvantage in that in order to bind a large number of documents together, the clip must be made large in size and the levers must be pushed with strong force to move the abutment surfaces away from each other. Such a clip is therefore unsuitable for a person whose finger force is weak. Further, if other documents are stacked on the documents bound already by this clip, there has been a possibility that the other documents stacked on the documents bound already by such a clip may be injured by the clip.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,060 patented Jun. 1, 1982, therefore, the inventor of this application has proposed a clip having no such levers as described above and also disclosed a driver for driving out such a clip. That is, the inventor of this application has proposed a clip which is formed by bending a single elastic plate-like member so as to have a bent portion and a pair of grasping portions continued to the bent portion, the grasping portions being normally in contact with each other. The clip driver is constituted by a clip accommodation portion for accommodating the clip therein, a clip opening portion provided at the front end of the accommodation portion and arranged so that the clip opening portion may be inserted into the nip between the grasping portions of the clip so as to open the grasping portions against the elasticity of the clip, and a lever slidably inserted into the accommodation portion from the rear end thereof so as to abut against the bent portion of the clip to thereby push the clip toward the clip opening portion. That is, the clip opening portion includes a guide spring which urges the grasping portions of the clip to open the nip therebetween when the clip opening portion is inserted into the nip between the grasping portions. If the lever is further pushed after the nip between the grasping portions have been opened by the guide spring in which documents or the like have been inserted between the grasping portions, the clip is ejected out of the front end of the clip driver under the condition that the documents are grasped by the clip.
In such a clip driver, however, there has been a disadvantage in that since only one clip is pushed out by the front end of the lever, it is impossible to accommodate a plurality of such clips in advance so as to successively push out the accommodated clips. Accordingly, inconveniently, it has been necessary to load a clip into the accommodation portion every time a clip is to be driven out.
Accordingly, the inventor of this application has improved the aforementioned clip driver, and has proposed, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,353,157 patented Oct. 12, 1982, a hand clip driver in which a knob is slidably provided above an accommodation portion so that a clip in the accommodation portion can be pushed out to a clip opening portion by means of the knob, and in which a plurality of clips can be loaded in the accommodation portion so that after one clip at the head of the loaded clips has been pushed out the knob is retreated to abut on a bent portion of the next clip and then pushed forward to displace this clip to the clip opening portion. By this hand clip driver, it has been made possible that a plurality of clips can be accommodated in the clip driver in advance so that documents or the like can be bound together successively and continuously. This hand clip driver has however a disadvantage in that it is necessary to retreat the knob in order to send a new clip to the clip opening portion each time. Thus, the operation is troublesome. Further, the clip driver is so complicated in structure that the number of parts is large and the cost of the clip driver is high.
In order to eliminate such a disadvantage, the inventor of this application has further proposed, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,755 a clip driver in which a new clip can be located at a clip opening portion without operating any knob. This clip driver is constituted by a pair of upper and lower casings, a knob for pushing-out a clip, a pair of clip opening spring members for opening or widening the grasping portions of the clip in the directions opposite to each other, an elastic member for normally biasing the knob toward a rear end side of the clip driver, and a fastening band for fastening the upper and lower casings to each other. The lower casing has, at its front end, a lower opening portion forming a part of an insertion inlet for inserting documents or the like, and has an upper surface on which at least one clip is mounted with the grasping portions directed toward the insertion inlet so that the clip is slidable in the longitudinal direction of the clip driver. On the other hand, the upper casing has, at its front end, an upper opening portion forming the insertion inlet together with the lower opening portion of the lower casing, and has, at its rear end, a clip insertion inlet for inserting a clip. The knob is mounted in a rectangular opening formed in the upper casing at its front end side so as to extend in the longitudinal direction, and is made to be slidable in the longitudinal direction and movable up and down within a predetermined range. Further, the knob has a knob projection portion projected upward from the opening, a push-out portion formed on a front end of the knob projection portion so that the push-out portion comes to abut against a bent portion of the clip when the knob is lowered, and a projection portion rearward extending from a rear end of the knob projection portion. The pair of clip opening members are provided in the insertion inlet formed by the lower and upper casings, and the elastic member is provided with its opposite ends attached to the projection portion of the knob and to the lower surface of the upper casing.
In this clip driver, the front end of the knob for pushing-out a clip is normally biased upward by the elastic member. Accordingly, if the knob is released from a finger after a clip at the head of the loaded clips has been pushed out of the clip driver, the next clip can be made positioned in front of the knob without receiving any obstacle by the front end of the knob. Thus, unlike the conventional clip driver, it is not necessary to retreat the knob to make the next clip position in front of the knob. Further, a plurality of clips can be accommodated so that a plurality of loose documents or the like can be continuously bound together. As the constituent parts of this clip driver, however, seven parts of six kinds have been needed as described above. Further, the assembling work of the clip driver is so complicated and troublesome that the clip driver becomes expensive correspondingly.